Celebration 403
Posted: Thu May 21, 2020 11:38 am
https://www.marcusmotors.com/car-details/2543818/
Could you find a better one even if it needs a front spoiler!
Could you find a better one even if it needs a front spoiler!
The place where Volvo 480 fans come together
https://www.volvo-480-europe.org/forum/
https://www.volvo-480-europe.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=36153
Good observations Robert about values, sadly.brinkie wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 10:40 amI think the toughest crowd are not the folks here, because they already have a 480 The toughest crowd are the potential buyers. And they are not going to pay that much, unless the car is 100% perfect, then it might spark interest from Volvo collectors. Imperfections are already stated: wrong badge on the rear hatch and missing spoiler. Both can be rectified though. Cheap Chinese rubber should not be a dealbreaker if you're not going to drive the car anyway. I do find it peculiar the car is on (fake?) Irish plates.
I cannot speak for the market in the UK, I am in The Netherlands where the Volvo 480 has a small but dedicated cult following because it was designed and built in this country. Nevertheless, people see the 400-series as a cheap banger. Cars above € 3,000 sell slowly and everything above € 5,000 is an extremely tough sell. There are a handful of mint condition 480's for sale, which have been sitting at the seller's lot for years now, because the market for a mint condition 480 is very small.
1987 ES 61,611 km € 4,900 -> should sell within a year
1994 S auto 61,959 km € 9,900 -> been here for two years
1995 GT Turbo 79,484 km € 9,940 -> been here for three years
and I have been busy trying to sell a club member's mint 480 Turbo automatic from 1991 with 51,000 kms for a year now and the seller of a near-mint 1995 480 ES with 80,000 kms on the clock has given up and put the car back in storage.
So I wish you all the luck and above all, patience!
Edit: It could very well be that the car has had a "480 ES" badge from new. This car doesn't have ABS, which is correct to ES spec, and the factory workers in Born weren't very picky when it came to building the last cars from the remaining bits in stock! (this one has VIN 593679, the last one which is in the Volvo museum in Göteborg has 594018)
Seems I got a bit of a bargain. Apart from the spoiler needing spraying I would say my celeb is not far off the one advertised. Granted the mileage is higher 66000 when purchased but it has full history 2 owners, original dealers stickers and reg plates, it’s certainly the best of the four I have owned and I am well pleased with it.jifflemon wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2020 1:16 pmSo, just to expand on my points.
Tyres: Its a personal point, but I HATE cheap tyres; Yes, they're round. black and have legal tread depth; They'll get you through a MOT.
For me, it shows poor maintenance. I do less than 1000 miles a year with my cars, and the tyres will be replaced probably due to age than tread depth, but still with a quality brand. I'd sooner the miles I do are done with quality rubber, than be in a ditch. However, as Henry has already said they'd be replaced if it was a deal breaker, we can move on.
The price: It's the probably the 2nd most expensive one in the last 5 years. As such, if you're asking top dollar, I'd be expecting as close to perfect as possible. Would I pay that much? Well, no but I'm not in the market. However, as we have people viewing this, I'd hate for someone to spend the money and come here, only to have all those faults highlighted.
The KGF celebration did eventually sell; as did the white turbo (Edie's). However, in both cases, I believe the asking price was NOT the price paid. I was also quick to point out the faults in those cars too! In pointing out the faults, I'm giving any potential purchaser leverage to negotiate on price. Buying with the heart is a dangerous thing to do! (oh don't I know it! )
Then lets also look at a celebration for sale here. Perhaps that's the joy of buying privately?
Now, on the other side of the coin, I also know, only too well, how expensive it is to restore cars. Which, you could argue, makes £8k seem cheap.
So, in summary, is it worth it? To someone, hopefully, or at least somewhere near that figure. However, location and the general 480 market could mean it'll be a while before it sells. If it does sell, I hope you point the owner in our direction, so that we can help them maintain it for many more years to come.
Which also remains unsold, because members have pointed out that it had never been registered for the road, and as such, is purely a museum piece, which would never be legally permitted on the road.
You missed the point; it’s nothing to do with mileage or maintainence; it’s a museum piece as the vehicle has no VIN numbers, thus cannot be legally registered. It was originally a gift from Volvo to a technical college I believe.